THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MAKE HOME VISITS IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

During a visit with an eighty eight year old woman with arthritis, we started talking about piñon. She asked me when I last went picking. In autumn, you can find cars parked along highways as families take buckets and bags to gather the tiny seeds that fall from pine trees. It is a labor intensive process that defines the culture here. The cherished seeds are then roasted and snacked on like a sunflower seed. The fact that she even thought I went piñon picking was a high compliment but alas I told her, picking piñon was not something I have ever done. 

Our last visit was today. Before I left she said, "I have something for you." She handed me a little packet of piñon that her family had picked and she had roasted herself. It wasn't just a tiny packet of seeds she was handing me but an offering from her ancestry and her culture. The love I receive from the families who have lived here for generations steals my heart every time. 
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Even the cats seem to know what a treasure I have just received